A/N:This takes between Fool's Gold and Love Cruise...
It was a typical Saturday afternoon in the park surrounded by the distant and sometimes tumultuous calls of childern about,the sky held a heartful hue of rich blue and the sun blazed blindingly to anyone foolhardy enough to attempt to gaze up challengingly into it's bright rays.On a bench away from the commotion and a dog that had begun barking wildly,Jake and Rose sat with a bit of distance between them.Jake kept darting his eyes from her to a manilla envelope lying next to both of them,waiting for her to act when she felt the time was right.
Rose rested with her head tilted and hand under her chin,fingers touching her cheek while keeping a steady and sometimes nearly causual gaze on it.He knew she was struggling with herself to do this,to maybe start to have a lead on discovering her past and not just turning up dead ends or being forced by her stubborn fears.
"You know how much you went through to get this."Jake reminded her after a while,his voice unusually filled with careful firmness."It might be the only place you'd be safe to live if you found out.The Huntsman is your uncle so that means he's bound to know something or other about your parents.You said that,right?"
She straightened and nodded."Yes,Jake.I remember,"an indecisive sigh escaped her lips as she felt the bench's wooden panelling meet her back when she rested it down and closed her eyes with face turned skyward.
"So...?"he continued on imploringly."Why hesitate to do something that might set you free from them?"
An abundace of possible outcomes poured through Rose's mind at what might happen.It had been nearly two weeks since she had discovered that her parents were alive and by sheer luck,she had caught her uncle in the midst of a conversation about all Huntsclan members having special records about their family and everything.Having told Jake the whole story,he'd her encouraged to go ahead.Unforunately,she had misplaced her dream charm somewhere and now after she had solely stolen her records,they were preparing to look...maybe to find out where her parents were so she could seek them out and at least find out if they'd been seeking too.
"What if the Huntsman finds us here or the envelope missing?"Rose voiced her worse fears in a quiet voice so that a passing older couple couldn't hear,turning to look into Jake's patient eyes."What if..."she averted her gaze to the ground and clasped her hands together,her pitch starting to tremble."What if it's too much?"
Jake's reassuring squeeze on her arm penetrated through her dark worries."That's why the Am Drag's here,"he told her in his familiar,coolly cocksure voice."To hold my sweetheart if she just so happens to get a bit scared."
She directed a purposeful look at him and yet a coquettishness was hinted on it."I wouldn't get too attached to that 'sweet' part if I were you,Dragon boy.But still..."she picked up her records with only partial reluctance."It's now or never.If I look quickly,find what I need,return this and then go from there I think I'll come out fine."
"More then fine."He told her automatically.It was a promise,not just a casual reply.
Admiring his dedication to help her but still certain it wasn't enough to hold back the entire clan,Rose neatly slit the clear tap with her index nail and opened the flap.Taking a slight shuddering breath and glancing over to the sides of them,she turned her attention back to her task at hand and watched as her fingers were now disappearing as they slid into the enevlope and extracted some graphing paper in encrypted coding.
"Well..."Jake hastened to tell her quickly,working a grin onto his visage."At least you can read all this stuff."
"Wrong,"Rose replied flatly,still holding the papers."That was the one thing at the Academy that I nearly failed."
"What's that?"
She furrowed her brow at his sudden observation and followed his gaze down to what appeared to be some sort of photograph sticking out from in between the thick stack.With a few skips of the beating of her heart in her chest,her hand gently clamped the sheen,glossy piece of paper and brought it out to examine it.But the second her eyes found the face on it,a feeling like that of reliving a nightmare struck down hard within her.
"Rose."Jake said calmly and then unsurely."Rose?"
Small convulsions erupted from out of nowhere,that,coupled with both joyous and chilling memories made her drop the photo to the ground.But she barely noticed as Jake bent over to pick it up before it left with the wind to turn up someplace where they were never find it.To a place maybe even where everything and one found themselves someday.And yet the image of a boy around her current age with long,messy brown bangs hanging over dark but inviting blue eyes was in her mind again,was unlocked from the far off time chamber of her soul.
Four and a half years earlier...
The Huntsclan Academy was a buzz with considerably more excitement then normal,which didn't surprise any of the older members.That included the newest of the recruitment of former Huntsclan trainee,Matthew Samuel Jones.He watched with his hands resting on his head,rocking back a bit on his heels as trainees ranging from ten to thirteen met with their families in the outside of their dormitorys in the court yard.Though he was going on a practice hunt a little later,he never passed up the oppurtunity of seeing the younger member's monthly reuions.
"Missing home?"A clever female voice interrupted his thoughts and he turned to find the source of the inquirer to be that of a young Huntsclan teacher in the martial arts training division,her glassy light hazel eyes fixed on him expectantly."Well?It's pretty obvious by the look on your face that you miss the easy way of it all."
Resuming his tranquil state so as not to show Amber she had guessed right,he turned back to look out at all the crowds."It's only been two months,"he reminded her with a feigningly defensive laugh."Give me some cred for almost doing away with that dragon back in the fields last week.Even if it was the only time you had off."
The tall,slendor eighteen-year-old shook her head of light brown curls."That's not even compared to what you did when you were made a trainee at ten."she told him in exaggeration."Or the time when you were twelve..."
"And."Matt put up a hand to silence her,staring her straight in the eye."We agreed never to speak of it again."
Amber snickered under her breath,uncrossing her arms and easing her shoulder off the support beam she had been leaning against."Whatever you say,"her expression took on a concerned one."How're you doing,Matt?"
"Hmm?Bou' what?"He replied nonchalantly,trying to avoid the subject that came up every once in a while.
As much as he admired her,there were certain things he didn't care to be mentioned to and today of all days.It was true that he always stood around and took in everyone else's meeting but from a safe distance.Now his preferred repose was about to be broken by her bringing it up.But there was a suspension lingering in the air between them,as if she might think of something else to say or was thinking it through in order to re-word it.
"See that girl over there."She finally spoke unevasively,nodding her head over to the trunk of tall magnoila tree.
His eyes travelled the length of the distance from him to a small girl huddled over almost,her golden blond hair falling over her face."Yeah,"he awnsered,not sure what she meant by it."What's up?Her mom forget the toys?"
"I don't know much about her,the Huntsman not giving us still teenaged members much info..."Amber let the sentence trail willingly,as she massaged her temples briefly."Her name is Rose and from what I hear she has no parents."she eyed Matt persuasively."That means you and her are one in the same,Mister.She's just like you at this age.Quiet,to herself...although she is very hard working,I don't think the poor thing has many friends."
A pang of sympathy welled up in him."So she's been living at the Academy her whole life?"he inquired her in disbelief,recalling fragments of his own firm but fair upbringing."Who's been watching her?Any relatives?"
"Whoa,whoa."Her smile returned,giving him a strange look."One question at a time.Firstly,she's had one of the live in maids serve as a nanny figure and she has no other family to speak of to my knowledge."she came over to him and placing a hand on his shoulder,told him instillingly."You remember you were about her age when we met..."her gaze flashed over to the girl as she finished with a self-assured note."I don't think I need to tell you what it is you should probably do with the rest of your twenty minutes of free time,do I Mattie?"
With one pat on his arm,Amber was off and going over to a small gathering near the stone statue of one of the greatest hunters back over a hundred years ago.Normally,he would have sulked a bit at being referred to by her pet name for him but the implication of her words were so compelling,that he soon found himself strolling over towards the girl she had bothered to point out.To some younger girl he could just instantly relate to.
"What'cha looking at?"Matt asked down to Rose in a rather cheery voice,expecting a cute and dimply smile.
But the girl who had been staring pensively at the kids and their parents at first paid him no mind but when he had remained standing there almost right in front of her,his hands on his knees and bending over some,she very slowly brought her eyes up to meet his.The sight of the wooden expression on her face surprised him,he loved spending some of his free time on occasion visiting with younger members but she displayed no hint of openess to him,not a spark of light in her big,almost characterless blue eyes as she stared up at him in that long moment.
"Everyone else if you'd move your head,"Rose observed churishly,trying to peer around him but found that as in vain as he took one step over to block her line of vision fully."Stop!"she finally snapped,her uncaring cordate face blushing with a glower."Don't you have anyone else to bug?I really just want to be left alone right now."
He did it a couple more times,trying to arouse some better spirit into the girl who was probably only less then five years younger then himself but to his disliking,on about the seventh move he witnessed as she set something that had been in her lap to the side of her and was about ready to deliver to him a low drop kick at about his ankles,when he leapt up and caught her by one of her ankles instead;hoisting her up just some off the ground.
"Put me down right now!"she demanded instantly,flailing her arms around like it would help her escape."Now!"
"Then apologise for nearly giving me a dirty shot when I wasn't prepared."Matt replied evenly,surpressing a smirk at her useless squirming."I'm not trying to be the bad guy but you knew better then to try that on me."
"No,no,no!"Rose sputtered in a tight voice and finally scooted back over to her place by the hulking tree when he had gently returned and released her to the ground.Now,she hid her face behind her drawn in legs and her arms resting on her knees."Go away,"she mumbled in an almost desperate voice."Go away and leave me be."
Matt was almost eager to do so.Besides,it wasn't his fault she was an orphan like he was.Bad luck and bad timing were.By the departing tones that everyone was using,he figured it was about time to wrap things up and get ready for his hunt.But just as he was ready to walk away,a magnoila was nearly tramped upon by the boot he was wearing that went along with his uniform.Impulsively,he reached down to pick it up and examine it.
It was a light pink in color,it's petals which curved inward were only partially stretched out.For a few moments he twisted the pretty unfully blossomed flower between his fingers before coming to a decision.Glancing over at Rose,he took notice she was hesitating with what appeared to be some fairly easy encryption homework that would have taken him merely ten minutes to complete but the idea sparking in his mind seemed nearly flawless.
"Meet me out here in the morning just after breakfest."He told her in a kind tone as he slipped the magnoila behind her left ear before she could look up at him to say no."I can help tutor you in encryption keys class."
Without so much as looking over his shoulder,Matt started off and left her alone as everyone returned to their rooms and all noise ceased from the open area.Part of him wanting to bring out a more friendly side of her and part of him regretting ever going over there.Whatever the outcome of his future attempts,he would try to adapt.
To Be Continued...